A promising start for the fall TV season

•If the Watcher were to describe the new TV season in one word, it would be "better." There are several new shows that I like, which is a considerable improvement over last fall.

Through Tuesday night, "The Mindy Project" was at the top of my list of newbies. The "nicest surprise" award goes to Fox's "Ben and Kate." It won't make anyone forget "Modern Family," but it is amusing.

•Those two combined with "Raising Hope" and "New Girl" on Tuesdays give Fox the best comedy block of the week, narrowly ahead of ABC on Wednesdays.

•Biggest disappointment so far: "Vegas" on CBS. It features a great cast – Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie Ann Moss, Jason O'Mara – and an excellent premise, but the writing lacked sophistication. (I know, it's CBS, but we can always hope, can't we?) "Vegas" was far from horrible, and it might get better as the season progresses, but the premiere was a disappointment.

•I'm also enjoying "Revolution" and "Go On," although I'm not sure how long I will stick around for either. The pilot of "Go On" was much funnier than what we've seen since. And "Revolution" seems really strong, but so did "Flash Forward" after two weeks. It feels like a series that will be moribund by week 10.

•The worst new show? That's always a tough call. I'm going to give it to "Partners" by a nose over "Mob Doctor." The CBS comedy is a weird amalgam of the usual Monday night pale-blue one-liners mixed with gay jokes from the "Will & Grace" era.

•"Mob Doctor," though, looks like the front-runner for the first series to be cancelled. Fox should put out a contract on it after the scary episode-two ratings.

•The Watcher had a hunch that "Mad Men" might end its four-year run as outstanding drama series, but I was surprised that "Homeland" – not "Breaking Bad" or "Downton Abby" – was the upsetter. "Homeland" might not have been my first choice, but it's an excellent series nonetheless.

•The ratings for the Emmy show were both higher and lower – a weird artifact of how TV measures its audience. The number of viewers rose to 13.2 million from 12.4 million in 2011, but the viewers in the 18-49 age group declined. For TV advertises, only the 18-49 numbers matter. By both measurements, it lost the day's battle to "Sunday Night Football."

•The timing couldn't have been better for Showtime, as "Homeland" and its Emmy-winning lead actors Claire Danes and Damien Lewis return Sunday night.

•"Dexter" also comes back to Showtime Sunday for its next-to-last season. When we left Dexter Morgan and his sister Debra at the end of last season, they were having one of the most awkward sibling moments on record. Former "Chuck" star Yvonne Strahovski joins the cast in a decidedly less heroic role.

•The first veteran series to show some cracks? "Hawaii Five-O" finished third in its time slot, behind "Castle" and "Revolution." We all know CBS's tolerance for last-place shows. I can't say I would miss it. Three years in, I feel like I'm watching the same episode over and over.

THE WATCHER'S TOP 10

What the Watcher is watching this week.

1. "Homeland" (Showtime, Sunday) – Emmy winner returns

2. "Dexter" (Showtime, Sunday) – Two seasons left

3. "The Amazing Race" (CBS, Sunday) – Season 21 starts

4. "Sons of Anarchy" (FX, Tuesday) – Sad about Opie

5. "Survivor: Philippines" (CBS, Wednesday) – Great start to season

6. "Modern Family" (ABC Wednesday) – Still the comedy king

7. "Project Runway" (Lifetime, Thursday) – Winding down

8. "Boardwalk Empire" (HBO, Sunday) – Nice beginning

9. "The Mindy Project" (Fox, Tuesday) – Funny

10. "666 Park Ave." (ABC, Sunday) – We'll try it once

Contact the writer: Write me at ocrwatcher@gmail.com. To read more, visit pedrowatcher.ocregister.com. Follow the Watcher on Twitter @WatcherofTV and on Facebook (The Watcher).